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Tuesday, March 29, 2022
By: Krista Henry (she/her)
Rui Su (PharmD’ 18)
MedMe Health co-founder
A small and rapidly growing company, MedMe Health utilizes co-op students to tackle all areas of their business.
Founded by University of Waterloo co-op alum Rui Su (PharmD’ 18), and her co-founders Purya Sarmadi and Nicholas Hui, MedMe is evolving the way pharmacists offer care.
“MedMe builds software shifting pharmacies from dispensaries to healthcare hubs,” says Jakob Manning (he/him/his), a software developer in the organization.
“Imagine if you’re helping to vaccinate hundreds of patients a day at your local pharmacy. You need a system to organize which patients are coming in, the time and what dose they are getting,” says Manning. “This is one example of a valuable healthcare service that we help streamline the process.”
Co-op students contribute at every level
During the pandemic, the company grew exponentially and utilized the skills of Waterloo co-op students to stay apace. Co-op students at MedMe Health work in roles such as software engineering intern, UI/UX designer and clinical associates.
“Our co-op students are really involved in every part of the code base. We train upper-level co-op students to become experts in a certain area and they learn our entire product line,” says Manning. “Right now, our co-op students are helping to set up a new pharmacy in Quebec. This will be the first time we are offering services in French.”
The students are going through MedMe’s entire app to introduce the ability
to translate text. With this feature, pharmacists will be able to make
appointments in any language and specify a language for video calls.
“Our co-op student team is helping to make all of this happen.”- Jakob Manning (he/him/his), software developer at MedMe Health
MedMe is available in over 3,000 pharmacies across North America, facilitating more than 14 million services since 2020 through the platform.
Waterloo talent brings drive and curiosity
In Manning’s experience, co-op students bring a variety of skills. MedMe Health’s number one reason for hiring students is their curiosity and drive. “We are an early-stage startup that is still learning and growing. This fits well with what we see of co-op students. They are eager to learn and try new things,” he says. “It also adds the energy and the creativity to our team. I believe the best teams are the most diverse, and co-op students can bring a unique set of insights and skills.”
One of the skills Manning appreciates is Waterloo co-op student’s communication skills. He describes them as willing to pitch in with insights. “I think their eagerness to speak as the youngest person on the team is really amazing,” he adds.
According to Manning, working at a startup is a great experience for co-op students. In a startup environment, students play an essential part of the business and can develop their skills and leadership capabilities.
Manning encourages other startup employers to consider hiring co-op students to assist.
“Co-op students fill a hiring need, it’s a short-term commitment with someone dedicated to being a high-growth learning individual. There is always the opportunity that they will come back or contribute to your ecosystem in some other way in the future. We’re already seeing that.”
In the coming years, MedMe wants to help empower more pharmacists in Canada to ensure they are helping patients and improving health outcomes.
We can help you find the right talent. Get in touch with Emily!
Emily is a Business Developer for the University of Waterloo's co-operative education program.
She can provide you with guidance and answer questions you may have about hiring from Waterloo.
Email: emily.burgess@uwaterloo.ca
Phone: (226) 220-1766